beauty

The Chop: "Will I look too mumsie? Is that the end of TV for me?"

About 10 years ago I shaved my head for ‘shave for cure’ and I loved it! After that, I never style cut my hair again.

Don’t get me wrong during this time, I have busted out multiple ‘dos from a sweeping fringe, to a cut-n-curly, through to a mini afro, and then into pinned-up styled-up section world. But, I have a lot of hair. I mean unnaturally a lot, one bottle of shampoo to four conditioners a lot.

RELATED:“Why I decided to stop shampooing my hair”

When my hair was in full flight, after being washed and brushed, it resembled a lion’s mane. My nickname at school was “sheep’s bum” for the thick tight curls in the back. Every hairdresser I have ever met gives the (all too familiar) pleasant yet frightened face when the hair band is undone, the layers of crazed, dry curls frizzing and plopping out. (Post continues after gallery.)

This is usually followed with, ‘Wow you have a lot of hair’ code for WTF are we going to do here in an hour? So I avoided anything more than a trim every two to three months. That way we were all happy.

RELATED:22 problems only girls with thick hair will understand

Working on children’s TV for seven years I began to realize that my hair although unruly, blow-dried easily (not by me… talented and strong make up artists/hairdressers). As my hair was so dry, donning a good shower cap meant I could pull off standard styling with minimal effort – for a week! This was my hair pattern for the last 10 years.

Until, my seven year cycle kicked in.

You know it. Call it a “Saturn return’, “seven year itch”, whatever – it’s a true cycle and it’s almost as if you need to reinvent your self, shift the ho hum of everyday life, do something to feel alive, shed a skin. I knew it was time to chop!

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RELATED:“I cut 35cms of hair off – here’s what happened” – The Chop

But now the hair has been there for so long, how do you go about cutting it? Questions and the face of the hairdresser are all floating through while I downward dog in yoga. How short? Will I ever have long hair again? Will I go back to reigning as the sheep bum mum? And will my daughter cry? How grey am I? Will I look too mumsie? Or too edgy? Will I like it? Is that the end of TV for me? STOP!

I made a mood board of haircuts, I googled short, curly, wavy, thick hair, face shapes. I copied and pasted until I narrowed it down to six heads. Then, I sent the image to those who can truly guide on the final judgment: sisters and my bestie. “Go” they all said with their corresponding number from the mood board.

RELATED:“Today I tried ‘plopping’. And it did very good things for my hair.”

I called just after Christmas, I had my bonus in the bank – so no excuses. I took in the mood board. As the locks dropped I felt the last few years of challenges go too.

Here is before and after….

Here I am before the chop. (Image supplied)

 

It wasn’t on the mood board – but I’m pretty bloody happy. I feel young, sexy, gorgeous, edgy and new. Oh so new! My husband thought the same and on that note I took myself out for beers by the river. Looking forward and fresh. Maybe it’s true what some say about emotional memory being held in the hair, because I definitely felt reborn.

Here is a few days later heading off to school. (Image supplied)
It felt so good the first time I went back for more!
Tara's updated hair.
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Using a pH balanced shampoo is also great at making good hair days. Here are some of our favourites. 
Tara Colegrave is best known for her role on BBC Cbeebies, follow her on @taracolegrave